On 25 July 2026, the Tech 4 Good Challenge 2026 Grand Finale brought together the brightest young innovators in Malaysia at ViTrox Campus 2.0 in Penang’s Batu Kawan, capping off months of rigorous competition with a showcase of ideas built to make a real difference in the world. Exabytes was proud to be part of this milestone event, lending both its leadership and its long-standing commitment to nurturing tech talent among Malaysia’s youth.
A National Platform for Young Innovators
Organised by ViTrox Technologies in partnership with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), the Tech 4 Good Challenge is a national invention competition that pushes secondary and tertiary students to tackle real-world problems through the engineering design process. This year’s edition drew an impressive 189 submissions, narrowed down to 47 finalist teams — 23 in the secondary school category and 24 in the higher education category — all competing for a prize pool worth RM164,000, including cash awards and ViTrox College tuition fee waivers.
What set this year’s finalists apart was the emphasis on emerging technology. Every team was required to integrate at least one advanced capability — artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, robotics, automation, or machine vision — into their proposed solutions, pushing students to move beyond theoretical exercises and build prototypes with genuine real-world feasibility. The Grand Finale itself featured prototype exhibitions, networking sessions, and an award presentation ceremony, giving students the opportunity to present their work to a panel of experienced engineers, researchers, and educators.
Exabytes’ Founder & CEO Joins the Judging Panel
Among that panel of judges was Exabytes’ very own Founder & CEO, Chan Kee Siak. Having built Exabytes from the ground up over two decades ago into one of the region’s leading digital solutions providers, Mr. Chan brought a rare, practitioner’s perspective to the judging table — one shaped by years of scaling a technology business from an idea into enterprise reality.
Reflecting on his experience judging this year’s finalists, Mr. Chan shared: “What struck me most as a judge this year wasn’t just the technical skill on display, but the intent behind it — these students are building for impact, not just for marks. Exabytes is proud to stand behind a platform that takes youth innovation this seriously.” His involvement reflects something core to how Exabytes sees its role in Malaysia’s tech ecosystem: not simply as a service provider, but as an active participant in shaping the next generation of builders, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
